Bloodstains
by Reki Onizuka
Summary: Ayumi (I made her up) is an assasin assigned to kill the ultimate assasin; but what happens when and if she fails? And what about her past?
1. I swear to kill you

Chapter 1

_Battosai the Manslayer. I will hunt you down to the ends of the Earth if I have to; you WILL die._

Ayumi walked down the streets of Kyoto, thinking of which method to use against the Battosai. "Ayumi! Ayumi!" Ayumi turned and came face-to-face with her apprentice. "What is it, Neshai?" He wiped sweat from his brown, "News of the Battosai; he's staying at the dojo of the Kamiya-Kashin-Ryu." Ayumi clenched her fist, "Come Neshai." "Hai." They walked faster down the street toward the dojo.

"Dinner is ready Miss Kouru," Kenshin said, coming out of the kitchen with a tray of food for the both of them. "Thank you Kenshin." They sat down and started to eat when the slide-door split in half. Kenshin grabbed his Sakaboto. The door crumbled to the ground and revealed Ayumi in her fighting stance. She was holding 2 fans; one had the kanji for Earth and the other for Heaven. She threw the Heaven fan at Kenshin. He drew his blade and deflected the fan. It hit the wall and stayed in like a knife. She walked in and Kenshin sheathed his sword. "Who are you? "Ayumi Sakashigi. And you are the Battosai." "I am the Battosai no longer. I gave up killing, that I did." "I just tried to kill you; why are you being so polite?" "I'm never rough with a lady." Ayumi laughed. "You're weaker than I expected." By this point, Ayumi had circled to the fan in the wall, "You shouldn't trust everyone," she grabbed the fan and jumped toward Kenshin. He dodged her as she slashed a cross-shaped into the floor. She was about to get up when something hit her head. She saw the world going black but not before Kouru said, "You can't trust everyone." And she put the wooden sword on her shoulder.

"Ayumi!" Ayumi woke up to see the face of her apprentice right next to her. She jumped up, "Neshai." He jumped up too, "Yes?" "What happened?" she said walking around the room. "You fought the Battosai and got knocked cold. I went in in disguise and rescued you." Ayumi looked around in her kimono's sleeves, "Where are my fans?" "I don't know. I think the Battosai might have taken them." "Let's go." She turned on her heel and walked out the door, Neshai grabbing his sword.


	2. Heaven and Earth

Chapter 2

Kenshin turned the closed fan over and over in his hands. He opened it and the very edge of the fan sparkled. The kanji for Heaven was red; Kenshin recognized this color too easily: It was blood. His hands where once stained with the crimson liquid ever since he was a boy. He had watched in horror as warriors slaughtered his friends and family when he was just a tiny child, been an assassin-for-hire in his teens, and even murdered his own wife, Tomoe. With the mere memory of her, he smelt her White Lily perfume, felt her petal-soft skin. He remembered when he killed her; he had been blinded and was deaf when he was on his way to rescue her. Her captor and he fought. Her captor lost his weapon so he stole Tomoe's dagger that she carried for protection. He was about to strike with it when Tomoe jumped in the way of his attack, to grab the dagger and protect him. His blade pierced her skin, driving through her shoulder; he realized what he did when he smelt the White Lily perfume. He caught her as her captor fell to the ground; obviously he had struck him too. She took the dagger and slowly put a slash across his face; across the first slash that he got from her fiancé when he murdered him when he was still the assassin-for-hire. Kenshin touched the cross-shaped scar on his cheek; the reason he gave up killing. Kouru came through the door and sat in front of Kenshin. "Still staring at that fan?" "There is something weird about it. There is blood on it but the blade is completely clean; like it's never been used." "She'll be coming back for it, you know." "I know." Kouru walked out of the room and headed down to start the lessons she taught daily as Kenshin continued to ponder over the fan, but mostly, his memories.


End file.
